Sacrificium
by Liquid-Thalassa
Summary: Part Three up. Therox fic. Will a tragedy bring Fox and Theresa together once again? AU.
1. Default Chapter

Title: Sacrificium

Author: LiquidThalassa

Disclaimer: The characters of "Passions" do not belong to me.

Author's Note: This is my first _Passions_ fanfic- I never thought of writing one before but I got inspired and this is what came of it. It's a "_Therox_"- they're my favorite couple on the show…I _can't_ stand Luis and Sheridan and Ethan and Gwen…and _defiantly_ not Whitney and Chad (_shudder)_- no offence to anyone who does though. Anyways, I hope this is enjoyed, reviews and comments are always greatly welcome :0).

_Another Note__: I started writing this a while ago (like 6 months or something) - that is why the story line isn't current. I thought I lost the document but I found it in an unmarked disk- whoo-hoo- so just look at it as an alternate universe thing. I think it's easy to figure out what's going on…_

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Sacrificium

_[Latin: Sacrifice]_

Noun

1: the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.

2: Forfeiture of something highly valued for the sake of one considered to have a greater value or claim.

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_!! Part One !!_

Teresa sat in the darkness of her room nestled tightly in a corner, wrapped in the shadows of the night. Cold wet tears cascaded from her earthy brown eyes. Eyes that were once warm and bright with life were now faded and dull, like a wilted rose they've lost their beauty. She held herself in the silence, knees wrapped tightly against her chest, rocking back and forth in an unconscious rhythm. Sorrow flooded her being, a wave of sadness she could not escape. She bit her lip harshly fighting the sob easing up her throat and tasted blood- coppery, warm blood coating her tongue. She didn't care. Not anymore. She welcomed the pain. Pain meant she was alive, and that was the only way she knew she was. She closed her eyes once more, only to be assaulted by thoughts in her mind, there was no escaping them; they haunted her.

_…I used to think Fate was on my side…but now…now I know I was just a fool…What did Fate get me but heartache and pain…and loneliness. I'm all alone, I have no one…not anymore…I've lost Ethan, a man I thought would be there for me and my son…and Little Ethan, my baby, my child…It kills me, don't they no the bond of mother and child? Don't they know what they're doing? I'm dying without him…my son…he should be with me not with that Bitch Gwen…he should be with me…I'm his mother…and Mama, God Mama… how could Fate take her way from me- away from us- when we needed her so much…I never got a chance to tell her- to tell her I loved her…to tell her how grateful I was…Fate, a cruel bitch she is, how could I be so stupid, so naïve.. Maybe I deserved it…maybe I am a monster, maybe I am what they tell me…maybe I will die alone… _

She brought a shaking hand to her cheek and wiped her tears, though nothing could erase their stigma upon her soul. Looking around she caught sight of a picture in a tarnished gold frame. The faint moonlight touched the glass and she let out a shuttering breath. _Fox._It had been a month since that night, the night after Mama died and everything went dark…the night she told him to leave, to get as far away from her as he could…

_I'm so sorry, Fox…I'm so sorry…I'm poison that's what I am. Poison. Everything I touch, everything I love get destroyed…I loved you so much…I couldn't stand hurting you- but I did didn't I? I did hurt you…God, when will this stop? When will this end… I love you like I never loved anyone else…but do you love me? After all of this, after what I've put you through? After I've hurt you…? Am I unlovable…?_

Rising from the floor, reaching out for the desk close by she steadied herself against the feeling of fainting. After a moment and a few deep breaths she felt her legs steady. Not bothering to turn on the light- she knew the darkness well enough by now- she walked over to the telephone. Unthinking she dialed a number she knew by heart…she stood there in the dark room, staring out the window to the cool autumn night, not paying attention to the rings on the line.

"Fox Crane." A warm familiar voice said shattering her trance.

_Oh God, what am I doing? What am I going to say_, Teresa though panicked.

"Hello?"

She said the first thing that came to mind, "I'm so sorry…"

There was a pause and she thought her heart would burst.

"Resa? Is that you?" He asked hopeful.

She began to sob again, unable to control herself.

"Resa, are you okay?"

She didn't answer.

"Teresa." He said more sternly. "I'm coming over."

"No- you-you can't." She whispered.

"Teresa, I'm coming over."

She didn't reply. She let the phone fall from her hands and clatter to the floor. Quickly she grabbed her keys and left, not knowing what she was doing or when she was going to go.

_I'm poison…I can't let him get hurt anymore…I can't get him involved…I'm poison. _

The cool autumn breeze blew on her teardrop trails leaving a cold feeling in their wake. She hugged herself against the chill, cursing herself for not bringing a coat. _But then_ _again_, she thought bitter-sweetly, _I won't be here long enough to need it…_

TBC

(...Unless it's not liked, that is. Let me all know- good or bad. _Constructive_ criticism is welcome. I usually only write _Third Watch_ and _Alias_ fics, so I'm a little out of my territory…)


	2. Chapter 2

_Title:_ Sacrificium Part 2

_Author:_ LiquidThalassa

_Author's Note:_ Sorry for the delay, I honestly forgot about this fic. It wasn't until yesterday that I started to write another chapter…and oddly enough I got another review today (interesting timing). So I decided to post the next part. I'm not positive where I'll take it, but it's not sticking to the show. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

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Fox could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he drove over to Theresa's. The autumn streets were slick with recent rain, but still he sped on. Something was up, he knew, he just wanted to get there before he found out. He allowed his mind to recall her phone call…the sadness and desperation in her voice, the pain. It had been a month since they talked. One month. It had been hell for him, every moment he contemplated running over there and taking her in his arms. But she told him to stay away, that is was what was best. Best for who, he wondered. Neither one of them were happy. A quick corner and a slight skid caused him to break his reverie…

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It had started to rain, heavy drops falling from the sky in a fury. There was no where to hide, no where to go. _Seems to be a theme lately…_ Bowing her head and hugging herself she walked on. Her tears mingling with the rain, falling in an incessant rhythm. She couldn't stop. _God, how can Fate be so cruel? Why take Mama? If anyone deserves to die it's me. Me. I'm the monster; I'm the sinner…not Mama...not Mama…_

Unconsciously Theresa reached from her necklace—Mama's cross—and clutched it tight. Not for religious assurance—she knew she was too far got for that—but to feel Mama close to her. She shivered as the rain began to soak her clothes and whipped loose strings of hair from her face. In the distance she saw the cemetery and without thinking began to walk toward the stone angels…

* * *

Fox concentrated on the sound of windshield wipers and not his worries. No matter what Theresa said, he was going to stay. She needed him, she needed someone. She lost her mother, her son, and in her view, him. _You didn't loose me, I'm here for you. Always._ Looking at the time he calculated it would only be ten minutes till he could tell her that. Clutching the steering wheel he turned another corner…

* * *

She slipped on a patch of mud and fell, her tired body crumpling to the ground. Her breath stilled and she sat, taking in how sad her life had become. She almost laughed, but instead she only sighed. Gingerly she rose, only to feel a sharp stab of pain. A twisted ankle. Whispering a curse and debated hitchhiking, but remembered here hadn't been any cars on this road since she'd been walking. Biting her lips and wiped her eyes—not that it did any good with all the rain—and continued on in a pathetic limp. _Once I cross this road, I'll be closer to Mama…_

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Just as Fox decelerated to accommodate a tight turn, he was accosted with another one. A pothole caught his tire and he started to loose control. Fear flooded him and he tried to change gear. It was stuck. He tried the brakes, but they weren't quick enough. Looking up he saw a figures limping across the street. He honked his horn wildly, playing he could swerve in time. As he got closer the figure turned and he met her eyes. Her. Theresa. She stood frozen in the road, soaking wet and utterly beautiful. He cried out, yelling her name. The last thing he saw before he spun out and hit—something, he didn't know what—was her eyes.

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

_Title:_ Sacrificium Part 3

_Author:_ LiquidThalassa

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A scream tore though the rain-thick air, reaching the ear of the stone angels guarding the dead. A loud crash, smack, bang followed seconds after as the out of control car collided with everything in its path. Metal squealed as it drug against the wet asphalt, sparks dancing in the air only to fall and die. A final sickening crunch and then there was silence. Deep, thick, and final. Time ticked slowly, the seconds seeming as if eternity… 

A sudden intake of air and whimper cut through the silence, and a pair of brown eyes forced themselves to open. For some time Theresa was unsure if it all happened, but when she tried to stand, the pain let her know it was real. The second she gathered her thoughts there was only one thing on her mind: Fox. _Oh, God, please let him be okay!_ She began to run—as best she could like a sprained ankle and bruises—to the path of flattened shrubs. When she got there her heart stopped.

The whole front of the car was twisted in a sick manner, the driver's side door banged in. Deep down she knew the worst was possible, she knew people have died from far worse. Cautiously she walked to the driver's side, praying to whoever would listen to her, hoping they would listen, if not for her, than for Fox. _Fox, what were you doing speeding like that? In this whether…? _She stopped, knowing now was not the time for that.

"Fox?" She called as she reached the door. Hands shaking—more from fear than cold now—she broke the remaining glass around the window. Her hands becoming stained with blood. Once she was done and eased her head in and looked. "Oh, God…no…please no…Fox?"

Fox laid on his side, slumped over, his dirty-blond hair covered in blood and bruises, his legs pinned under the steeling wheel. He didn't move and Theresa wasn't sure if he was breathing. First aid—something Luis made her learn when she was younger—flooded back to her. With all her might she forced the door opened and leaned in. Glass dug into her knees and palms as she unbuckled his seatbelt. Then carefully and ever so slowly she began to ease his body up, doing her best to keep his neck still. Five minutes later and she finished. Tears started to fall once again as she touched his face with but a whisper.

"Fox, answer me. Please. Don't go! Don't go…I love you…please…I need you."

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In the fuzzy darkness of confusion Fox began to become aware of himself. Time seemed displaced and warped, and with all his might he couldn't remember what exactly happened. He felt hands on him, the motion of sitting up and the pain. God, the pain was unbearable. He wished for that fuzziness, but it failed to return. Instead he tried to concentrate on the hands, the perfume, and the voice calling him. 

"_Fox, answer me. Please. Don't go! Don't go…I love you…please…I need you."_

"Who…" the question came out in nothing but a whisper, unable to be finished. _Who are you? _

"Fox, open your eyes." He heard the woman's fear, relief and hope.

He tried with all his concentration to open his eyes, but he couldn't. He felt once last caress and fell into the darkness.

* * *

Theresa knew Fate was not on her side—not anymore. _I have to get help, quick. _Reluctantly she left Fox's side and began searching for his cell phone. Amidst the broken glass and banged-up seats she found it, dialing 911. 

"Harmony PD, how may I help you?" an older woman said, in a calm, reassuring voice.

"There's been an accident—right off the Cemetery. Someone is injured. I-I don't know how bad, he needs help. Please, you have to hurry." Theresa said in a rush.

"An ambulance and patrol officer will be dispatched to your location immediately."

"Thank you." She said and hung up.

There was nothing to do but wait—and pray. _Please, God, don't let Fox die. I'll do anything, anything if you spare his life. _

Her thoughts were broken with the sound of sirens…

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TBC 

Lydia: I wouldn't mind submitting this fic once it's done…your website address and email didn't show up though, so I don't know where.

Everyone else: Thank you for the reviews. I'm glad you liked it.


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